From the Answer Desk: Where Can I Find Case Studies of Nonprofit Collaborations, Mergers, and Other Strategic Alliances?

A: Reviewing strategic alliance case studies is a good way to analyze the factors leading to the successful (or failed) coming together of two or more organizations. You may want to review our other post, "What do I need to know about collaboration and other kinds of strategic alliances?" for basic information about and definitions of various types of alliances into which nonprofits enter.

The following case studies are available online:

Nonprofit Strategic Alliances Case Studies: The Role of Trust [pdf]
Three types of strategic alliances are analyzed in this publication authored by John A. Yankey, Ph.D.; Carol K. Willen, Ph.D.; Barbara Wester Jacobus, M.N.O.; Amy McClellan, M.N.O., issued in 2005 by the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio: 
    1. Merger (AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland)
    2. Consolidation (ideastream)
    3. Joint venture (Otis Moss, Jr. - University Hospitals Medical Center)

Nonprofit Strategic Alliances Case Studies: Lessons from the Trenches [pdf]
Six case studies are presented in this publication authored by John A. Yankey, Ph.D.; Barbara Wester Jacobus, M.N.O.; and Amy McClellan, M.N.O., issued in 2001 by the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio:
    1. The Alliance for Nonprofit Management (merger)
    2. Applewood Centers (merger)
    3. Catholic Charities Services Corporation (merger)
    4. HelpSource (merger)
    5. Metropolitan Alliance of Community Centers (joint venture)
    6. Ottawa County United Way (administrative and financial operations consolidation)

Additional resources from the Mandel Center are available here.

Coming to Terms: A Case Study of Collaboration Challenges [pdf]
This paper is from a session presented at the 35th annual Association of Research on Nonprofit and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) conference, November 15-16, 2006. Authors Julie Pietroburgo and Richard Bush, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois, examine a failed attempt at collaboration between two hospice organizations and analyze why.

Managing Stakeholders Through the Merger Process: The Case of Utah Symphony & Opera [pdf]
This paper is from a session presented at the 34th annual ARNOVA conference, November 17-19, 2005. Authors Nancy Winemiller Basinger, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Jessica Romine Peterson, Make a Wish Foundation of Utah, examine the merger of the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera from the stakeholder perspective. Stakeholders are identified as "clients/patrons, volunteers, board of directors, funding sources, staff, management, etc."

Bridging the Organizational Divide: The Making of a Nonprofit Merger
Issued in November 2001 and commissioned by Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, Boston, Massachusetts, author John Emmeus Davis, Burlington Associates in Community Development, Burlington, Vermont, examines the merger of French Hill Neighborhood Housing Services and the Greater Nashua Housing and Development Foundation with an eye on answering the question, "What makes a good process?"

The following case studies are available at Foundation Center and other libraries:

"Getting to Yes...or No: Nonprofit Decision Making and Interorganizational Restructuring." Nonprofit Management & Leadership, vol. 19 (Winter 2008,) p. 221-41.
This exploratory study looks at the ways in which nonprofit organizations make restructuring decisions, such as whether to pursue a merger. The author presents data collected through four case studies, and makes recommendations for future research. 

"Small Organization Mergers in Arts and Humanities." Nonprofit Management & Leadership, vol. 15 (Fall 2004,) p. 95-115.
A case study of the merger of a county arts council with a humanities commission, outlining the steps of the process, and initial reactions and outcomes. With bibliographical references.

"The Urge to Merge: A Multiple-case Study." Nonprofit Management & Leadership, vol. 13 (Winter 2002,) p. 169-86.
A comparative study of three mergers of nonprofits serving an urban community in Michigan. One involved the combination of five former nonprofits in the mental health and social service field; the second merged two hospitals; the third combined three mental health agencies.

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Katie Artzner, Online Librarian, Foundation Center